Golf-ball.



No. 731,614. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. R. REACH & G. B. STAPLES.

GOLF BALL.

APPLIGATIOR FILED OUT. 13, 1902.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT REACH AND GEORGE E. STAPLES, OF PHILADELPHIA,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

GOLF-BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 731,614, dated June 23, I903.

Application filed October 13, 1902. Serial No. 127,058. (No model.)

T on whom it may cancer-m.

Be it known that we, ROBERT REACH and GEORGE li STAPLES, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Golf-Balls, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is an improved ball adapted for use in the playing of golf and for like purposes. We aim in our improved construction to take away the responsiveness of the center and to bring about the result desired without v affecting the resiliency of the ball.

We have found by experience that the responsiveness of the rubber center in golfballs is the cause of the outside covering cracking when played with, and we provide our ering of wound rubber, as at 0.

improved ball with a non-responsive center constructed as hereinafter particularly described.

, hard -rubber shell inclosing it, the shell in turn being covered with gutta-percha. We

.1 have found that aball having a non-responsive center anda hard-rubber shell gives the greatest efiectiveness anddurability. If desired, we may interpose a second layer of yarn between the rubber layer a and the hardrubber cover 01. 7

By the expression non responsive is meant that when the outer surface of the ball comes in contact with the stick the curs in at least ninety per cent. of the balls used. To prevent this, we take as much of the responsiveness out of the ball as possible by (winding it and by hand-stretching the rubber to its utmost tension. This cannot be brought about by a winding-machine. By

thus taking all the responsiveness or reaction out of the center of the ball the gutta-percha cover remains intact. The principal feature,

therefore, of the invention is a wound center covered with hard rubber and the hard rubber covered with gutta-percha. The word wound in this connection is distinctive from strand, for the reason that the rubber is in strand form and the winding is a process of putting the strand in a stipulated shape. The intervening layers of yarn are intended to reduce the responsiveness or the reactionary features of the wound -rubber center to a minimum, as yarn if wound wet shrinks and by so doing compresses the wound-rubber strands.

What we claim is-. t

A golf-ball comprising a non-responsive center consisting of layers of strand-rubber and yarn, a hard-rubber shell and an outer covering of gutta-percha.

In testimony whereof we afnx our sigma-- tures in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT REACH.

GEORGE B. STAPLES.

Witnesses:

HOWARD E. HEOKLER, J. DANIEL EBY. 

